Dartmouth Transfer Application Essays

Updated November 2023

Required of all transfer applicants, please choose one of the following prompts and respond in 500 words or fewer:

While arguing a Dartmouth-related case before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1818, Daniel Webster, Class of 1801, delivered this memorable line: "It is, Sir…a small college. And yet, there are those who love it!" As you seek admission to Dartmouth, what prompted your decision to transfer institutions and what aspects of the College's program, community, or campus environment attract your interest?

Required of all transfer applicants, please respond to one of the following prompts in 250 words or fewer:
  • There is a Quaker saying: Let your life speak. Describe the environment in which you were raised and the impact it has had on the person you are today.
  • "Be yourself," Oscar Wilde advised. "Everyone else is taken." Introduce yourself.
Required of all transfer applicants, please choose one of the following prompts and respond in 200-250 words:
  • What excites you?
  • Labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta recommended a life of purpose. "We must use our lives to make the world a better place to live, not just to acquire things," she said. "That is what we are put on the earth for." In what ways do you hope to make—or are you already making—an impact? Why? How?
  • Dr. Seuss, aka Theodor Geisel of Dartmouth's Class of 1925, wrote, "Think and wonder. Wonder and think." As you wonder and think, what's on your mind?
  • Celebrate your nerdy side.
  • "It's not easy being green…" was the frequent refrain of Kermit the Frog. How has difference been a part of your life, and how have you embraced it as part of your identity and outlook?
  • As noted in the College's mission statement, "Dartmouth educates the most promising students and prepares them for a lifetime of learning and of responsible leadership…" Promise and potential are important aspects of the assessment of any college application, but they can be elusive qualities to capture. Highlight your potential and promise for us; what would you like us to know about you?